Traditional Hymns
Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love
Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love
Listen to:
Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love (.midi) Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love (.mp3) Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love Bells Version (.mp3)
1. Blest be the dear uniting love that will not let us part; our bodies may far off remove, we still are one in heart.
2. Joined in one spirit to our Head, where he appoints we go, and still in Jesus' footsteps tread, and do his work below.
3. O may we ever walk in him, and nothing know beside, nothing desire, nothing esteem, but Jesus crucified!
4. We all are one who him receive, and each with each agree, in him the One, the Truth, we live; blest point of unity!
5. Partakers of the Savior's grace, the same in mind and heart, nor joy, nor grief, nor time, nor place, nor life, nor death can part.
Story of the hymn Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love
This hymn, often used as a parting or closing song in worship, celebrates the spiritual bond among believers that transcends physical separation. It was originally titled "At Parting" and first published in Hymns and Sacred Poems (1742), a collection by Charles and John Wesley. The original version had eight stanzas, though modern hymnals typically use four or five.Unlike some hymns tied to a single dramatic event, this one emerged from the practical needs of the early Methodist movement. Methodists often met in small groups (societies, classes, and bands) for spiritual accountability, and partings were frequent due to itinerant preaching or travel. The hymn served as a comforting assurance that physical distance could not break the spiritual "uniting love" in Christ.
Influences include the Wesleys' association with the Moravians (Unitas Fratrum, or "Unity of the Brethren"), whose emphasis on communal brotherhood deepened Charles's focus on unity. The 1742 publication came during a formative period for Methodism, post the Wesleys' evangelical conversions (1738) and amid growing societies.
